Rialto Chatter: Bob Crowley Joining ALADDIN Team & Disney's THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME Moving Forward

As BroadwayWorld reported earlier this week, MARY POPPINS will close on Broadway on March 3, 2013 to make way for renovations at the New Amsterdam Theater, followed by its next tenant, and a musical adaptation of the company's 1992 animated film ALADDIN, likely in the Spring of 2014.

Yesterday it was revealed that "'the version of ALADDIN that hits Broadway next year will be substantially overhauled and will not be a transfer of the 5th Avenue production, the individual said. The Broadway production will involve a major new key player on the creative team.'

Today. Michael Riedel adds to the story noting that Tony-winning set designer Bob Crowley has been added to the team to create a completely new physical production for the run.

Crowley is a six-time Tony-winner, for designing the Broadway productions of Carousel (1994), Aida (2000), The History Boys (2006), Mary Poppins (2007), The Coast of Utopia (2007) and Once (2012). He is a recipient of the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Set Design and a three-time recipient of the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design.

For Disney, Crowley designed set and costume for Mary Poppins. He also designed and directed the Phil Collins musical Tarzan, and was the costume designer of the 2008/9 version of The Little Mermaid.

Alan Menken revealed back in August 2012 that ALADDIN was being prepped for a Broadway run. Based on the Disney film by the same name, Aladdin features a book by Chad Beguelin, music by Menken, and lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, with additional lyrics by Chad Beguelin. The Disney film was written by Ron Clements, John Musker, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, and directed and produced by Ron Clements and Jon Musker.

Riedel also reports today that THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME could be back moving forward as well. The show, with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, and book by James Lapine premiered in Germany as Der Glöckner von Notre Dame. The musical is based on the 1996 Disney film, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which was inspired by the 1831 Victor Hugo novel of the same name. The company's first musical to premiere outside the U.S., it ran for three years, becoming one of Berlin's longest-running musicals.

Now Riedel writes that Peter Parnell is on board writing a new script, and Menken and Schwartz are at work on new songs.